A 36-YEAR-OLD man was found dead by his girlfriend in her home in Haslingden after he accidentally took a lethal cocktail of drink and drugs, an inquest heard.

Matthew Williams, from Waterfoot, had a deadly mix methadone and alcohol in his system.

He also had low levels of amphetamines, morphine and benzodiazepines.

His girlfriend of five years, Melanie Frohnaphel, of Rock Street, told Burnley coroner’s court the couple drank cans of lager while watching TV in her bedroom on November 2, before falling asleep.

She said: “I woke up on the chair at the end of the bed at about 3.30am and he was lying on my bed face down.

“I reached out and touched his feet and they were cold.”

Miss Frohnaphel called the emergency services and was talked through giving Mr Williams CPR, but could not revive him.

She said: “I wanted to remain at the address with Matt, but when the police came I became somewhat aggressive with the officer and was arrested. I spent the rest of the night in a cell.”

Miss Frohnaphel, a recovering heroin addict who is prescribed methadone, said Mr Williams, of Crabtree Avenue, would shake if he didn’t have alcohol to drink, and would use drugs if he didn’t have anything to drink.

She said: “He would use anything he could get his hands on.”

Coroner Richard Taylor said alcohol has a depressive effect on the central nervous system, and methadone has the same effect on the respiratory system.

Mr Taylor asked Miss Frohnaphel if Mr Williams was prescribed methadone.

She said: “He wasn’t prescribed methadone. But because Matthew was messing about with heroin, it was hard for me to tell him he couldn’t have any of my methadone.

“We used to argue about it. I absolutely hated him doing it. I used to give him 10ml if he was going to do some work and couldn’t without it. I’m prescribed 50ml a day.

”But that night he hadn’t taken anything in my presence.”

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Taylor said: “I have heard from the report that someone has taken methadone and alcohol, and it has led to his sad demise.

“This is a man who enjoyed drink, probably took too much, and when in drink, he took drugs, which he never thought would have led to his death.”